The Devil in Disguise
by Diaed
Summary: She gave him a smile, simple and seemingly genuine, but he knew better by now. This thing dressed in woman's skin was no human, no, she was the devil incarnate. All the lives she took, every deal she made, she never felt any guilt for the horrific actions she committed. She says she is searching for her father, but, what is she really looking for?


The man clambered at her ankles, grabbing at her boots with desperation as he begged and pleaded for the bottle of water she held between her fingers lazily. Vicious, hazel eyes shifted to the broken and dying man, alighting with burning hatred for the pathetic creature. She smirked to herself, moving the bottle over the mans head and dumping the contents on him with a disgusting level of amusement. The man dared to whine in her presence, receiving the plastic bottle when she threw it at his face before pressing the barrel of a sawed off shotgun to the mans forehead.

His eyes welled with fear, the wolfish grin of the redwood haired woman seeming to grow more sinister by the heartbeat. Before she could pull the trigger, the metal walkway to Rivet City groaned and screeched into place; allowing her to cross into the boat. She looked to the two guards men positioned by Rivet City's entrance, then to the pathetic creature quivering before. She wanted to tell the sad excuse for a human being to beg for his life, yet, choosing to kill him without a word instead. Blood and gore splattered back onto the steel of the walkway, the woman holstering her weapon and striding towards the entrance of Rivet City.

Harkness was filled with a sudden regret, looking to the headless body of the poor man mournfully as the woman stopped before him "Howdy" She greeted far too nonchalantly for a woman who just took a life, a Regulator none-the-less.

"I thought Regulators didn't take innocent lives" He growled at her.

She quirked a brow at this, looking him over as though he was mad before looking down at her worn and blood splattered clothes "Oh" She said absentmindedly, tugging at the collar of her duster "Well, Regulators don't" She looked back at him "I've come to see Doctor Li, where may I find her?"

He gritted his teeth, hearing a faint buzz in his ears at his irritation "What's it to you?" He asked.

"I require her assistance for a matter of dire proportions" She replied "Where may I find her?"

"You just killed a man, how do I know you're not here to kill her?" He argued, holding his ground.

She chuckled, voice low and dark "I can assure you, I have no reason to kill Doctor Li. I was informed by a man named Three Dogs that she may have information on a man that I am trying to find"

"So you can kill him?" He continued to accuse.

All amusement of the situation she held seemed to disintegrate "I will ask this only once more; Where is doctor Li?" She pressed, air becoming cold as though all the warmth was being sucked from it to put fire in her words.

Harkness went to spit a retort when the guard by his side spoke up "The Science Lab, just through that door there" He nodded to the door on her left and their right "Follow the signs"

"Thank you" She smiled at this, a mask so flawless that it threw both of the men off guard "Have a good day"

* * *

The alarms still rung around her, hands trembling as she gripped the baseball bat with all she had. What had possessed her to reject that pistol? Dam her and her emotions, allowing Amata to run off with the now necessary weapon. She could hear the argumentative shouts between The Overseer and Amata, vicious agreements of the head guardsmen. She let out a shaky breath, doing her best to steady herself. That was when she heard gunshots ring out. She spun around the corner, seeing Amata holding a gun at her own father and officer Mac lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood.

"Nikki!" Amata called out, panic evident in her eyes.

"Amata" Nikki said, swinging the bat in her hands with new found confidence. Before she could say a thing, she watched as the overseer began to reach for a pistol at his waist. She lunged forward, slamming the bat into the old mans into the old mans shoulder. Amata gave a shriek, watching her best friend stand over her father and aim the bat at his nose "Amata, get out of here" She ordered.

At this, the overseers daughter ran from the room; dropping the pistol on her way out "I see the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" He growled up at the younger.

"This was a long time coming" She said coldly "Now, tell me the pass code for your terminal and give me the key to your office door" She could see the reluctance in the mans eyes, a smug sense of superiority scrawled on his face at the sign of her faintly trembling hands. They steadied suddenly, a fire burning in her eyes that chilled him to the core "Amata is my friend, she trusts me, if you don't give me what I ask I WILL hurt her"

The overseer was quiet for a long moment "It's in the terminal over there" He nodded at the terminal positioned on the desk by a cell.

She approached the desk, stooping down and picking up the 10mm pistol as she made her way there, and brought the terminal to life. She glanced back at the overseer, aiming down the barrel of the pistol at the overseer as she downloaded the information to her pip-boy. She glanced back at the device, nodding to herself when it was done. She moved to the door, stopping in the door way and half turning to half face them "Amata was the closet thing I ever had to a friend outside of Jonas, I would never hurt, so, I can't make you suffer the way you have made me" She aimed down the barrel of the weapon "You could have survived this if you had not killed Jonas, but, you took away my humanity" She fired the weapon, bullet diving into the old mans skull "That was for my Jonas" With that, she turned and went towards his office.

She froze in the main room, looking down at body lying in the center of the floor. She took shaky steps towards Jonas's dead body, dropping to her knees. She placed a warm hand to the dead mans cheek, tears welling up in her eyes "God…. Jonas" She said, voice breaking under the weight of her pain.

"You…. Killed him…. Didn't you?" Amata's voice would have knocked Nikki off-guard if she was not already suffering so much "You killed my father"

She cared not, tears falling freely onto the doctors lab coat "Jonas, I-I'm so sorry" She apologized "I'm so, so, sorry" She cried.

"You should be" Amata practically growled from behind her "My father is dead! I thought you were my friend!" She screamed.

Nikki took Jonas's glasses from his face, closing his eyes gently before replacing the spectacles and kissing his forehead. She then looked to the holotape clutched in his hand, taking it from his grip gently. Standing, she approached the other nineteen year old positioned in the doorway of a room that led off from the one she was in now "I hope you never have to lose the man you love" She said clearly before kicking Amata in the stomach to send her reeling back into the room. She shut the door, shooting the panel so it was locked. She knew Paul or Stanley would be able to fix it when this mess was over, and, knew it would be better if Amata was not seen with her when she finally left the vault.

As she turned to go to the office, she began to studied the holotape titled "Note from dad"

* * *

"Don't mean to rush you, Doc, but I'd feel better if we got this over with" Jonas's familiar voice rang out through the pip-boy's speakers.

"Okay. Go ahead. Goodbye. I love you" Her dads final words to her echoed through the cracks in her heart, the holotape running out of recording. She rubbed her eyes with her palms, clearing them of the tears that had begun to linger on the boarder.

Doctor Li had not been available for questioning, to her dismay, and so the young woman was left with pathetic objectives that she had not bothered to pursue wholeheartedly. It had taken her well over an hour to dig up enough information on the legend named Pinkerton, now, she was awaiting on news on how to get into the ships bow. This Android from the Commonwealth seemed to have numerous ties leading to Rivet City. It made her wonder if the being was even here anymore.

"Hey, you" Harkness's sharp voice called out, the dangerous woman turning to look him over.

"Hey, you" She gave back, far more flirtatious than the man had greeted her. She proceeded to grin at the snarl that cursed his face "Such a cute snarl, you know, I have friends in Andale that would just love you" She teased, getting to her feet and approaching him "Bill would just eat you up" She invaded his personal space, moving so close their noses touched "I would just eat you up" She whispered. She suddenly smacked him in the chest, sending him reeling as she walked past "I guess Doctor Li is back" Without need of an answer, the 'pirate of the wastes' was gone; vanishing into the depths of the rusted tub known as Rivet City.


End file.
